Play: Partner recruitment
The partner recruitment play
How do you recruit channel partners?
The short answer
Start with an ideal partner profile: the customers you want reached, the services a partner must deliver, and the vendors they already carry. Build a short list against it, lead with their business case, and qualify for commitment. Sign partners who will invest time and people, not partners who will only list you.
The steps
How to run it
Write the ideal partner profile
Name the customer segment, the technical skills, the geography and the vendor relationships that make a partner a fit. Write down what rules a partner out too.
Done when Two people on your team would score the same partner the same way.
Build a short list
Twenty well-matched partners beat two hundred names. Score each one against the profile before anyone reaches out.
Done when Every name on the list has a score and a reason.
Lead with their business case
Show the revenue and services opportunity for them first. Product detail comes after they care.
Done when The partner can say in one sentence how they make money with you.
Qualify for commitment
Ask what they will put in: a named sales lead, a technical lead, a pipeline target and a launch date.
Done when Names and a date are written down, not implied.
Sign a plan, not just a contract
Sign the agreement alongside a first 90-day plan with owners and dates, so recruiting turns into activity.
Done when The partner has a first target account and a date to review it.
Watch for
Where this play goes wrong
- Signing every partner who says yes. Inactive partners cost support time and dilute your program.
- Pitching your product before the partner sees their own upside.
- Treating the signed agreement as the finish line.
Where PartnerBOT.ai helps
- Draft an ideal partner profile for your motion, whether that is resale, MSP, distribution or co-sell.
- Score prospective partners consistently with the partner scorecard.
- Generate a Better Together story to put in front of a prospective partner.
Questions
What channel managers ask about this play
How many partners should I recruit?
Fewer than you think. Recruit to the number you can actually support. A handful of committed partners usually outperforms a long list of inactive ones.
What should an ideal partner profile include?
The customers the partner serves, the services they deliver, their technical skills, their geography, the vendors they already carry, and the traits that rule a partner out.
What if a partner will not commit to a target?
Treat it as information. A partner who will not name people or a number is telling you where you sit on their priority list.
Cross references
Use with this play
Glossary terms
Next play: Partner onboarding
Try it on your next partner call
Ask the question you would normally chase down. Pull the template. Build the QBR outline.
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